When Rhys first spotted Julia during their first year at university, Julia was wearing an oversized jumper and lugging her textbooks around. He turned to his friends and said light-heartedly, “Now that girl looks like the kind of girl you could marry!”. Their relationship blossomed over endless games of pool at the uni bar. When James suggested a weekend in Melbourne to celebrate their anniversary, Julia was overwhelmed when he dropped to one knee in their hotel room and asked her to share her life with him. Julia was sobbing so hard, Rhys had to actually check her answer was yes!
Dress:
Julia’s mermaid-style, antique ivory gown was created especially her and featured a long Chantilly lace bodice with a silk underlay that finished just beneath her hips and slanted slightly at the back. The bodice also featured a sweetheart neckline and a low back with a row of tiny buttons trailing down her spine.
“The process of designing the dress was long and I had my doubts of the end product, but it was completely worth it,” Julia says.” It’s just unfortunate that I was only able to wear it for that one day!”
Tradition:
It is customary at Romanian nuptials for the newly-weds and their guests to play wedding games until the sun rises. To respect Julia’s Romanian heritage, the couple played a game in which the bride is blind-folded and sits on on chair in front of the guests. All the men, including the groom, line up and are each called by a number to approach the bride and plant a kiss on her. The bride must pick which kiss most resembles her husband and after she does, they switch and it is the groom’s turn to pick his bride’s kiss.
Advice:
Julia and Rhys say always be open-minded to your partner’s culture and family heritage when planning your wedding. Be mindful of their culture, as a part of who they are and how they think and act, because this is the person you are about to join with for the rest of your life. In essence, they say, you are both marrying into each other’s culture, so it’s important that there is a mutual respect, love and understanding as to the heritage of each individual.
The couple also suggest to list the elements of the wedding that mean the most to you and allocate budget accordingly. “The areas where we felt were most important were the reception, the photography and the wedding dress”.
Soundtrack:
Processional: “Songbird” by Eva Cassidy
Signing the register: “I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman
Recessional: “Valentine” by Kina Grannis
Entering the reception: “My Girl” by the Temptations
First Dance: “By My Side” by David Choi
